The Omnikinetic
by sleeping-weeping-willow
Summary: What happens when Artemis, the virgin goddess, has a child- the grandchild of the Wolverine? Eliza Howlett, half mutant and half god, was born for one reason: to bring humanity and mutants together. She's entrusted to her father, Chase, who is to raise her and protect her; but when her mother returns briefly and Chase dies after a series of mishaps, Eliza must set off on her own.
1. Chapter 1

Chase had been on the road for some time, traveling and looking for his father. He'd been searching for his father ever since his mother's death a couple years back. He grinned to himself as he headed for the bar, comfortable in his leather jacket and jeans. He'd just turned twenty-five, and was out to celebrate. He wasn't one for sleeping around, usually, but something odd inside of him was saying tonight was the night to get a little rowdy. He had found the bar, which was located just a few miles off the main roads- and, well, in the middle of nowhere. His salt-and-pepper hair, mostly brown with flecks of blonde, was lightly tousled. His blue eyes were concealed behind dark aviators, too, and he looked rather rugged- like a biker.

Like his father.

The thought caused Chase to clutch the old, faded dog tags around his neck. Chase hadn't seen his father since he was ten, why worry about the old man now? He pushed the bar's door open and waltzed inside, still grinning. He shoved his hands inside his jean pockets and meandered over to an empty table, what should've been a table for two. Chase, however, was alone. He sat down, leaning back in his chair as he awaited service. The waiter who approached him was a tall blonde man with piercing blue eyes that looked a bit cold and questioning. He had tattoos up his arms and his hair was slightly spiked, like some rebel child's. "What can I get you?" The man asked, his voice slightly- and unusually- lilting, at least for a man of the stranger's stature.

"Uh, yeah." Chase nodded. "I'll have a bourbon- on the rocks,"

The blonde scribbled the order down on his notepad with a curt nod, "Anything else?"

"Uh, no," Chase said and offered a tentative smile. He wasn't much good with other people. The blonde nodded and meandered away, whistling. Chase leaned back against his chair again, tilting his chin up to look at the TV mounted on the far wall. His drink was left beside him on a coaster, the glass perspiring from the ice inside the glass cup. He brought the drink to his lips, but didn't pay much mind to his surroundings. Perhaps twenty minutes into the night, he was approached by a girl- but not just any girl. She was blonde and blue-eyed, perhaps the female version of Chase's waiter. She was much shorter than Chase, however, who was a little over six foot. The girl was, perhaps, 5'6". She was wearing a slim long-sleeved shirt which was pitch black and a pair of skinny jeans, and she wore shiny black combat boots for shoes.

"Mind if I sit here?" She asked, but didn't wait for him to give her an answer. Instead, she simply sat across from him. The smirk she wore, Chase had to admit, was cute. Her porcelain skin was the opposite of Chase's tan skin. Despite looking rather innocent and harmless, though a bit badass; Chase could tell this girl was a lot more dangerous than she let on.

Chase smiled, "Sure, why not? I'm Chase. Chase..."

"Chase what?" The girl grinned.

"Howlett. Chase Howlett. And who are you?"

The girl, Chase noticed, had taken his drink and was sipping out of it. "Artemis. You can call me Artemis,"

"Got a last name, or-?"

"Not one for you to hear," Artemis told him.

Chase was taken aback at first, but then decided he liked Artemis's gall. He grinned at her. "You busy tonight?"

* * *

Her skin was warm, her golden locks cascading down her shoulders.

His skin was sweaty, her light scratches dusting her back.

She was toned, for a girl, and stronger than Chase would've thought. What if she was a mutant, too? The thought made Chase think of his adamantium bone structure, somehow inherited from his father. The thought almost unleashed his claws, but he held himself back. Artemis's nails dug into his toned side, leaving more thin red marks on his skin. Her eyes were shut as they moved against one another, eliciting soft moans and the strain of the bed springs. For some reason the blonde waiter, who'd turned out to be Artemis's twin brother, had been a bit eager to let Chase take the girl into the back room to... what had the guy said? Deflower? Something like that. The waiter had muttered something about a prophecy to his sister, which Chase shouldn't of been able to hear, but had anyway. Artemis's legs twined around Chase's hips as she arched her back, her toned stomach pressing against his own. Their movements slowed, but they still moved as one, and reached their apex together.

Once finished, Chase rolled off of Artemis and lay on his back. Artemis sat up and stretched, her back popping. "That was fun," Artemis said simply.

"Yeah," Chase mumbled, "fun."

Artemis glanced at him. "You're okay, you know, for a guy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chase shot at her, quirking an eyebrow. The smirk was back, then, and she was up to collect her close. "Wait, uh.. can I have your number?"

"Don't have one." Artemis said simply.

"How do I find you, then?" Chase asked, frowning.

"Don't worry," Artemis chuckled. "I'll find _you_."

Great, now the hot girl was creeping Chase out. He cleared his throat and sat up a bit, propping himself up on his elbows. "That's, uh, creepy."

"Sorry, didn't mean to sound ominous." Artemis yawned. "Sorry, that was also sarcasm. I'll be around, you'll see me if you look hard enough." She pulled her clothes on, giving Chase one last look. "Besides, I'll find you if I figure out if it worked or not."

"If.. what worked?" Chase frowned.

"I'll explain if it works." Artemis said before she departed.

* * *

It seemed like it had been forever since Chase had seen the girl, Artemis. He had never really paid much interest to girls before, not that that was a bad thing- he'd just been focused on more important matters. He really hadn't wanted to stick around, he wanted to be off and on his way- so he had left. Seven months had gone by, and he had doubted he'd ever see Artemis again. He was sure of it, actually, and had thought of it as little more than a one-night stand. He'd found a hotel in Vegas, two states away from that tiny bar, in the big city. He'd only stayed in Vegas so long because he had heard his father was somewhere around the vicinity. It was around noon, and Chase had not even woken up yet. What did wake him, however, was the persistent knocking on his hotel room door. He stood, yawning, and wandered toward the door unthinkingly. He was simply in his briefs. Chase, however, still leaned up and looked through the peephole. He saw the familiar golden locks and felt the weird twisting feeling in his stomach. He instantly went to open the door. "Artemis?!"

The girl looked up at him, an eyebrow quirked. The smirk was not on her face. "Hey, there, Chase." Her stomach was swollen, she looked tired. Her eyes were ringed with dark bags beneath them, but she somehow still radiated power.

Chase's groggy mind clicked a bit. "Wait, how'd you find me? Why are you here?"

"Sit," Artemis said softly. "I need to explain." So Chase sat at the table and Artemis across from him, just as they had seven months prior. "Chase, I'm pregnant."

"I can tell." Chase muttered, earning a kick to the shin from Artemis- who managed to deliver a rather painful blow to his leg. "Ouch!"

"Chase," Artemis continued, sucking in a deep breath, "you're a mortal. I know that, you know that. You're also a mutant. I know that, you know that."

"How do you know that?" Chase inquired, folding his arms over his burly chest.

"I know this because I'm not mortal." Artemis explained. "My brother, Apollo.. he has a knack for ruining lives. His oracle chose yours to ruin, along with mine." Artemis paused, rethinking her words. "Or, maybe.. not ruin. I wouldn't call this-" she gestured to her swollen stomach, "-a ruiner."

"Look, Artemis," Chase chuckled nervously, "I don't know what you want. I mean, obviously you wanted-"

"I didn't want anything." Artemis said lowly. "It was the prophecy's decision. I decided to act willingly."

"The prophecy?" Chase asked, though a bit hesitant.

"Yes, Chase." Artemis sighed, gently rubbing her globe of a belly. She opened her mouth and recited the rhyme quietly, as if afraid it would disturb the fetus within her:

"'On the Demon Days a child will be born to the mortal world

Spawn of the Moon and the metal man, her tale will unfurl

Trained by a warrior of earth

And bring forth the warrior's rebirth

Savior to the mutants and herald of pain

Thrust into the war man has made

And to end or preserve the world, will need the immortals' aid

To make the decision to preserve or raze'."

For a while, Chase was silent and confused. But eventually he spoke, his voice hesitant. "To preserve or raze what?"

"We don't know." Artemis said softly. She glanced at her hands, at her belly, and closed her eyes. "Gods, Chase, I don't know."

"So.. I.. you.. that's _my_ baby?" Chase asked, unsure of what to say. Artemis already seemed tired and distressed.

"Yes, Chase, this is your daughter."

"Daughter? What makes you so sure?" Chase asked.

"My brother's foresight, and the prophecy refers to a female." Artemis rubbed her temple with her free hand.

"So, I'm going to be a father?" Chase asked, still stuck on the fact he was going to be a parent.

"Yes," Artemis said. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to throw this on you, but..."

"But?"

"But the law of my people requires I entrust the child to its.. her.. mortal parent. You, Chase."

"Wait, what?"

"If I had any other choice, Chase, I would keep her. I would keep my daughter-"

"Our daughter."

"-Our daughter." Artemis gave a tired nod. "But my father will not allow that."

"Your father?"

"Yes." Artemis murmured. "Zeus."

Another bit of information clicked in Chase's mind. "You're a goddess."

"Took you long enough to figure that out." Artemis muttered. "Yes, I'm a goddess. Look, Chase, I can't help you. I'm sorry. All I can tell you is that this baby is important. Without her, your world.. my world.. will fall. You need to trust me-"

Chase looked at her, incredulous. "Trust you? Artemis, all I've done is sleep with you-"

"And get me pregnant,"

Chase shot her a glare. "Look, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I don't know if I can do this. I'm not the domestic type."

"Neither am I, Chase. Don't you know who I am?"

"You're Artemis."

"Obviously." Artemis rolled her eyes. "Chase, I'm over five thousand years old and you're the first person I've slept with. You know why? Because the prophecy required me to. The child needed to be mine, because I am the Moon. My brother is the Sun. The point is, I'm doing what I am because I need to. Because in order to save our world, I need to. I did not want to have children, yet here I am- and you know what?"

"What?"

"I love the child already." She looked tired again. "Chase, I'm tired and I'm pregnant and I'm a goddess. I'm immortal. All I'm asking you to do is care for this child.. just until the time is right."

"Just until the time is right?" Chase asked.

Artemis sighed, "Yes, Chase... just until she is needed to go on her own. Please.. do this for me,"

Chase's gaze softened. He barely knew the female, he knew he should be mad. Yet.. he couldn't be. Perhaps it was her godly influence, or perhaps it was because he understood her motives. "I'll do it.. I'll do it,"

* * *

So there Chase sat, two months later, cradling the tiny bundle in his arms. The baby girl's eyes were a ghastly white, but Chase knew his baby wasn't blind because of the way her eyes tracked objects around the room- including her father's fingers. The beginnings of soft brown hair were growing from her tiny head. She looked tiny compared to her father, and indeed she was.

"Hi, baby," Chase cooed down to the girl, allowing her to grab onto his finger- her tiny fingers couldn't even come close to closing around his index finger. He chuckled softly as the baby began to chew on his knuckle, though he was still trying to figure out what to name her. Artemis had not given the baby a name, perhaps too heartbroken on the fact she had needed to give up her firstborn child and had not wanted to get attached. So Chase brainstormed the names, his brow furrowed, and settled upon a single name: his grandmother's name; or, well, a shortened variant. "Eliza," He said softly, smiling, "we'll call you Eliza."


	2. Chapter 2

Chase had, surprisingly, turned himself around. The baby was not yet awake, though he suspected Eliza would be up soon. Chase was in the bathroom, slicking back his wily hair and trimming his beard. He'd taken up a job as a lumberjack, which he found ironic- since his father had been one once, too. Being a lumberjack, however, was the only job close by his new home- a classified location in Montana. He wasn't necessarily allowed to take Eliza to work with him, and he doubted Artemis would ever approve of the baby being around sharp objects and burly men and falling trees... but somehow, Eliza was always safe. Chase never knew how, but he could just tell. Besides, one might not suspect it- but the other workers loved Eliza, and believed Chase's cover story of Eliza's mother dying in childbirth. Tousling his gelled hair gently, Chase squinted at himself in the mirror before deciding his look was satisfactory and headed to the kitchen to prepare the baby's bottle.

Chase fixed his old red flannel as he hummed softly to himself, waiting for Eliza's startling cries to draw him into the room they shared. Their house wasn't big, it was actually a little trailer home. Chase couldn't bring in too much income with his job, but he sure as hell tried- even though everything went to care for the baby anyway. Chase couldn't help but admit he'd fallen in love with the baby, he would give anything to care for his daughter. He, in fact, already was. Eliza's bottle was nearly finished when her cries drew Chase's attention to their room. Immediately he went to her, going to scoop her up into his arms when he noticed the tiny claws sticking out from her knuckles. Chase, like his father, had three claws on each hand which were the same as his father's and exited his hands through the spaces between his fingers. Eliza, however, had four claws on each hand. The tiny claws, which Chase noted were made from adamantium, were somehow positioned to exit through each of the four knuckles on her pudgy hands. The claws were no longer than a centimeter long, and Chase knew they were nowhere near close to being fully formed, and glinted against Eliza's soft skin. Chase could tell his daughter would look more like her mother than anything, with a few of his own features tossed in, but he could already tell Eliza would be a smaller, and a little less powerful, version of her mother. Eliza's white eyes looked up at her father as she babbled a soft string of syllables and reached upward toward him. Chase immediately scooped the child up, taking a tiny hand in his own. The claws on Eliza's hands retracted, and she acted as though nothing happened. Chase kissed her forehead and carried her into the kitchen.

* * *

The months went on, and Eliza continued to grow faster than any baby Chase had ever seen. While Eliza herself grew, so did the godly and mutant powers within her. Chase could tell his daughter was powerful, way more powerful than any other Howlett or even most mutants. Chase didn't know how to describe how he knew this, he simply did. One night he sat beside his daughter's bed, speaking softly to her.

"Your mother would be proud of you," Chase told her, smiling as she babbled softly. He glanced at the full moon, which was rising into the sky slowly. The moon reminded him of Eliza's mother, even though Chase had not known Artemis too well. He gently pressed a kiss to the baby's forehead and set her in the crib. "You have her face," Chase told the baby, who watched him with crystalline white eyes. The baby grabbed his finger, babbling, causing Chase to smile. "Maybe someday you'll see her." He told his daughter, pressing a final kiss to her soft forehead. "Go to sleep, now."

Chase could tell Eliza was watching as he departed, but he would not be coming back to sleep until the baby herself was asleep. She babbled softly when he looked back at her, so he smiled and waved his fingers at her. "Goodnight, sweat heart." Chase said softly. He left the door open just a crack before he meandered into the kitchen to grab a drink. He reached to grab a water bottle, hesitated, and instead grabbed a beer. He hadn't drank anything in a long time, and he supposed one drink wouldn't hurt. After all, if he only had one he'd still be able to care for his daughter without any alcoholic impairment. He twisted the bottle cap off of the bottle and brought it to his lips, taking a long swig as he walked to the living room. The living room was conjoined to the kitchen, but Chase didn't mind. He sat on the couch and snatched the remote, turning on the TV. He turned the volume down so Eliza couldn't hear, hoping he wouldn't have to be up too late. Chase had had a long day and wanted to sleep, but knew if he remained in the room Eliza would never drift off. So, he would need to wait in the living room and check on her after a while.

* * *

At first, Chase had not realized he had fallen asleep. He finally awoke around midnight, jolting upward. Chase had suffered from another nightmare, one regarding his daughter. He clutched at his chest, realizing his adamantium claws had shot from his hands the moment he had woken up. His first thought was about how he'd spilled his beer over his chest. His second thought was of his daughter. His gaze shot toward the door of the room he shared with the baby, and jumped to his feet instantly when he realized the glowing white light seeping through the slightly open crack of the door. He ran toward the room, his chest beating a thousand miles a minute. He threw open the door and found a beautiful glowing figure inside, holding the baby in its arms.

"Hey-!" Chase exclaimed, nearly losing his footing when he realized _who_ the figure was. The cold blue eyes were all too familiar, though Artemis's physical appearance had changed slightly. "Artemis?" Chase breathed softly. Artemis looked absolutely beautiful. She wore a white Grecian dress, its bosom bejeweled with golden drachmas and jewels. Her hair was slightly curled and intricately braided into a bun, exposing the beautiful pale skin which glowed like moonlight.

"Chase," Artemis whispered, but her voice sounded a bit faint- like she was there, but she wasn't. That's when it hit Chase. Artemis wasn't there, not physically, but rather in a different form. "I had to see her," Artemis said softly. The infant stared at her mother, her tiny fists gently gripping Artemis's white dress. "She's beautiful, Chase."

Chase offered a soft smile, "Like you, Art."

Artemis seemed to blush, though if she actually was blushing she did not let on that she was. She carried the baby to Chase, smiling. Artemis leaned against him, and for once Chase could feel this odd notion that they actually felt like a family. Artemis leaned up and kissed him, surprising Chase. Had Artemis kissed him in the other two times they'd seen each other? If she had, he hadn't actually recalled doing so. When Artemis broke away, Chase glanced down at the baby- who was asleep. "Let her have this memory of me, Chase," Artemis pleaded softly, "but you mustn't allow her to know who and what she is.. not yet. It's too dangerous,"

"Artemis, why?" Chase frowned. "I-"

"Chase, if she knows she's half immortal, it will draw her demons to her. Knowledge is power, Chase.. and she's not ready yet." Artemis said softly. She admired the infant in her arms, admiring every detail like it might be her last time seeing the baby. "My father believes I am still on Olympus. This is just a mental projection of my true form, just a sliver of myself... She's always on my mind, Chase, I just.. I couldn't let well enough alone." Very reluctantly, Artemis settled Eliza back into Chase's arms. "What... what name did you settle for?" Artemis asked meekly.

"Elizabeth." Chase exhaled. "Eliza, for short.. like my grandmother."

"And her middle name?"

"Cynthia." Chase murmured. It was another name, aside from Diana, which was associated with Artemis. "I.. wanted her to be as close to you as possible."

Artemis opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it. She held out her hand, a small ball of white light forming within it. When the light settled, it had become a sort of talisman- a silver pendant, the jewel in the middle a form of zircon. In the zircon jewel, the symbol of Artemis was carved. The symbol of Eliza's mother. "Give it to her when she's ready." Artemis told Chase. She kissed the baby's forehead once, though her touch lingered for a few seconds. When she broke away from the infant, she leaned up and kissed Chase a second time. Chase closed his eyes, feeling content for once, though when he reopened his eyes Artemis had disappeared, leaving him and the infant alone.


	3. Chapter 3

The forest was alive with the sounds of buzzing mechanical equipment and the hacking of axes against the tree trunk. Eliza knew her father was somewhere with the other workers, perhaps hacking away at a tree somewhere or breaking branches off in order to saw them down; however, she wasn't completely sure. Eliza had been instructed by her father, however, to sit by the truck as her father and his coworkers went to work so Eliza would not get in the way or hurt. Eliza, however, was bored. She sat in the bed of the truck, absentmindedly running her right thumb over her left knuckles, as she watched the scenery move lazily with an oncoming breeze. She was ten years old now, but due to the rate she grew... she appeared twenty. Apparently, however, she had reached her maturity- her father thought so, at least, since he had stopped aging around twenty as well. Eliza let out a soft sigh of boredom, but something she saw out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Whirling around to attempt to find whatever had crossed her line of vision, Eliza found the object had disappeared. She frowned and looked around for her father, but when she didn't see him she jumped out of the bed of the truck. Eliza's boot-clad feet hit the soft dirt below the truck, and once she had made contact with the ground she looked around for her father again. Still, however, Chase was nowhere to be seen. Grinning softly to herself, Eliza decided to head in the direction she had seen the object.

Eliza's feet struck the ground rhythmically as she ran, kicking up small amounts of dirt and debris. She still wore a silly grin, hyped to temporarily be out of her father's sight. He usually kept an intense eye on her, but not today. Today, Eliza would venture off for a short time to see what she could find. She came to a dip in the scenery where Eliza's side of the ground was more elevated than the other. She would later learn she was running upon the ledge of an old cobblestone wall. Eliza leaped to the lower level, fallen leaves crunching beneath her feet, and continued running. Soon, she came to a clearing where the trees stopped growing. A stream trickled by Eliza's feet, close to washing over her boots, but she had not seen the object thus far. As her adrenaline faded, Eliza realized she also did not know where she was. Upon realizing she was lost, panic began taking over. Slowly, the adamantium claws began to seep from her knuckles, the metal glinting softly in the light. Each claw was nearly two feet long, longer than her father's and, supposedly, longer than her grandfather's. The emergence of her body's unnatural mutation gave Eliza a second realization: danger was near. She was never sure how, but her claws seemed to know she was in trouble faster than Eliza herself knew. Her chest had begun to heave at this point, and her heart had begun to race as the hairs on her arms began to raise like a dog's hackles. Something was coming, and she would need to defend herself.

"Who's there?" Eliza called out, sounding more fearless than she felt.

"My, my.." A silky, though raspy, voice answered. "You _do_ look like your mother,"

Fear seized Eliza. The voice, obviously male, belonged to someone who had known her mother. "I… who are you?"

"She took my eyes, you know.." The voice said. It seemed to be so close, but so far- as if it were all around Eliza. Eliza had never known much about her mother, Chase had declared it would keep her safer if she knew less. Whatever the voice was talking about, Eliza did not understand.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Eliza said, drawing herself into a defensive position. Her claws brushed together, emitting sparks from where they connected. They were sharp, deadly sharp.

"You don't?" The voice seemed genuinely surprised. "Her first child kept uninformed? My, my.. I'm surprised."

"What do you want?" Eliza asked, her voice beginning to shake.

"Same thing everyone wants, little Moon," The voice cooed, "control, power."

"I don't have that," Eliza insisted, "I'm just some girl. I don't have power,"

"You really don't know anything, do you?" The voice laughed, a throaty noise that gave Eliza chills. "Looks like daddy's done a poor job, hasn't he?"

Eliza felt a twinge of anger at the mention of her father. "Don't talk about my dad," She snapped.

"Or what?" The voice purred.

"Or.. or.. Or else I'll tear your eyes out!"

"Oh, dear," The voice laughed, "your mother already took care of that." A figure dropped from one of the trees behind Eliza, causing her to whirl around. Her claws flashed an angry silver, gleaming viciously. The figure was, in fact, a male- just as Eliza had suspected. He looked almost like a normal man, except he was too tall- way too tall- and his face was horribly disfigured. Perhaps, at one point, he would of been considered handsome; however, now it was scarred and burned. His eyes were, in fact, gone but had been replaced with an odd structure that gave Eliza Terminator feels. Where the skin around the man's eyes should have been was instead metal which connected with the skin. His eye sockets were black glass flames, like the lenses of a pair of sunglasses. The only difference, though, was the red LED light which was, perhaps, the man's cybernetic pupils. On his hunting jacket, symbols were scrawled on his lapel: Ωρίων. Eliza squinted, and found somehow she knew the translation for those symbols.

"Orion," She exhaled.

"Ah, so you _do_ know me?" The figure asked, grinning. His teeth were horrid reptilian fangs which reminded Eliza of the teeth of a dragon.

"I.. no, I don't.. I just.. The symbols,"

"Reading Greek like you just did is the true marking of a demigod, my dear." Orion grinned. "But you wouldn't know that, would you? Your daddy has kept you in the dark."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Eliza yelled, confusion hurting her head. She truly didn't know what Orion meant, she wasn't sure what her father had been hiding from her.

"Poor girl." Orion chuckled. "Well, this has been fun… however, it's time you say goodbye." He reached behind his back and pulled some sort of device from a quiver attached to his shoulders. When he pressed the device's side, it lunged to life to create some high-tech crossbow. He reached behind his back again and grabbed an arrow. "How many arrows does it take to kill an Omni?" He asked, notching the arrow and drawing back the string. Just as Orion did so, two thin but long blades shot out from the arrow's side. Orion meant to decapitate her. Eliza's breath hitched in her chest when Orion loosed the arrow, the weapon shooting straight for Eliza. Miracles do happen, however. Just as Eliza drew her arms over her face to protect herself, a flash of silver shot through the air and sliced through the arrow, rendering it useless. Glancing around wildly, Eliza did not see her father but rather another figure: a female dressed in combat clothes. "You!" Orion hissed, baring his disgusting teeth.

"Me." The female said smugly, raising her hand and in one fluid, swift motion threw another silver object at Orion. The object was, as it turned out, a knife and it stuck deep into Orion's forehead. The female ran toward Eliza, snatching the girl's arm. "Come on, that's not going to keep him down for long."

"I-" Eliza struggled for a second. "No! Who are you, what do you want?!"

The female looked a little hurt, but brushed it off. "I'll explain later. We need to get you to your father." The female began dragging Eliza in the direction Eliza had came, her strides longer than Eliza's despite the female being a bit shorter than Eliza herself. Eliza's heart was pounding viciously in her chest, and her lungs were on fire, but she didn't let that slow her. The female, on the other hand, was unphased as she ran- as if nothing could stop her. Eliza tried to keep up, but it was nearly useless. She tripped, the female's grip unable to keep Eliza upright, and landed on her stomach. The wind instantly left Eliza's lungs, and she wheezed helplessly. "Get up!" The female said. "Come on, it will be fine."

"I can't," Eliza wheezed.

"You must." The female said. "You are strong, like your father. You must move, now." The female gently grabbed Eliza's wrist and pulled her up.

"Eliza!" Chase's deep, frightened voice called out. "Eliza, where are you?!"

"Dad!" Eliza hollered, afraid. "Dad, where are you?!"

"Eliza!" Her father's voice was closer now. Eliza could almost feel his presence, she could smell his cologne and the scent of the outdoors on him. "Eliza!" Chase shot out from the underbrush, his claws at the ready, eyes wild and hair a mess. "El-" His sentence cut off when he realized who Eliza was accompanied by. He jogged to them, but stood by his daughter's side. "Are all your meetings going to be a surprise?" He questioned the female, though Eliza could tell he was.. flirting?

The female smiled, "She's all grown up."

"I suppose she is," Chase said, retracting his claws as he draped an arm over his daughter's shoulders.

"Dad, I don't understand.." Eliza said meekly.

"Eliza," Chase murmured, "this is your mother, Artemis."

"You said mom died in a-"

"There's a lot you don't know," Chase said softly. "I know I need to explain. Trust me, I kept it all a secret to keep you safe.. I-"

"There's no time to explain now, Chase," Artemis said softly. "It's time. It has begun."


End file.
